Radioactive Decay of Candium

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In this simulation, learners use M&M™ candy to explore radioactive isotope decay. Learners pour out a bag of candy and count and record the number of candy pieces that have "decayed" or show the print side up. Learners get to consume the "decayed atoms." Then, they will shake the bag again and recount the decay. Learners will continue shaking, counting and consuming until all the atoms have decayed, and then graph the results. This activity is a great introduction to half-life and nuclear decay. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per student
Age Range:
Ages 11 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Simulation
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • M&M™ candy pieces
  • resealable bag
  • graph paper

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth's History
      • Geologic Time
  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Nuclear Engineering
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
      • Data Representation
    • Measurement
      • Rate
  • Physical Sciences
    • Chemistry
      • Nuclear Chemistry
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Atomic Structure
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • taste
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access with registration

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